All About Smoothies

Smoothies are the buzzword for health food… or so people think. But if you walked into Tropical Smoothie or UBEX stores, I would rank them as junk food. Many of these stores, especially chains like UBEX, or Tropical Smoothie add more sugar to their fruit drinks, in addition to the additives used to keep fruit fresh.

Smoothies are one of two things, a healthier sweet treat, or for those die hard raw food fans, they are a healthful way of getting an intense shot of nutrients. One thing is clear; if you buy a smoothie, the nutritional value of your smoothie is muddy, at best. Therefore, it would be best to make your own smoothies at home, so I thought I would give a few helpful tips on the process.

Tools for making a smoothie:

When I started juicing, over 28 years ago, the gold standard was Champion brand juicers. Champion had two types, a non ejection centrifugal juicer (mine), or the masticating juicer, which is a twin gear juicer that can handle fruits veggies, but can also make pasta, nut butters and baby food! The drawback to my champion was the cleaning process; it took a lot of time to clean up. My juicer finally died, while I was writing this blog. RIP my fabulous friend! Today, there are lots more options; brands such as Breville, Omega and Hurom are some of the top rated.

To decide on a juicer, first look at your preference of smoothie. There are two types of smoothies, one is more a drink, thinner in texture and the other leaves more pulp from the fruit or veggie. For a true juice extraction without the pulp, you need a juice extractor. These heavy-duty juicers are needed if you like more veggie based juices, like carrot, kale, and beet substance. The heavy-duty engine is needed to do the job, so don’t skimp and buy something based solely on price. If you are a true fruit smoothie fan, you can probably go with a less expensive idea, such as a simple blender, or hand blender.

I surfed the net looking for juicer reviews and I liked everythingkitchen.com best because it had plenty of options, customer reviews, but also had a customer question with company replies section. However, this site had a nice explanation for the way juicers operate.

In the end, I chose the Omega Low Speed Vert 350, which uses an auger to crush the produce and what I love best; it is incredibly easy to clean!

When to Drink a Smoothie?

Most smoothie advocates suggest starting your day off with a smoothie, but many suggested smoothies high in sugar. When the body is getting it’s engine revved for the rest of the day, intense sweet in the AM is no different then a shot of espresso. It’s also hard on the digestion, because fruit empties quickly from the stomach, leaving you hungry for more food, a couple hours later. You see where I’m going with this? If you want to eat better, then you need to look at your energy output and add a smoothie at the right time.

Also, I use smoothies when I feel like I need to ease my digestive system from its hard work. The homemade liquid tends to calm my tummy, while at the same time, encouraging me to take better care, because I’m focused on food in quality and quantity.

What Ingredients?

Fresh is best! We shop at the farmers markets for veggies and fruits, because fresh is best. Try to buy locally grown for two very good reasons: support your local economy (also called “shop small”) and because organic is not always necessary. Small farms that border residential neighborhoods are forbidden to use pesticides and chemicals that large growers use. Know the dirty dozen, which is a list of fruits and veggies that you should buy organic.

Some food for thought:

When looking at ingredients for your juice, stop and think about your medications. For people with conditions like low thyroid, you need to be careful of too many phytoestrogens and cruciferous vegetables. These include fruits and veggies such as broccoli, soy, cauliflower, kale, wheat berries, alfalfa, mung beans, flax, oats, barley, carrots, apples, and pomegranates.

In other words, don’t just launch into smoothies. Review your health, you may need to limit some ingredients. For example, I have low thyroid, a common problem with people who have type1 diabetes. Today, I made a smoothie out of kale, spinach, avocado, carrot, apple, pomegranate and lemon.

While heavy on phytoestrogens, I still love the energy boost that it gives me, so I won’t have it more than once a week. And by limiting it to once a week, this forces me to try more fruits and veggies and balances my nutrition.

Ann Bartlett has lived with type 1 diabetes since 1970. In addition to being an avid diabetes advocate and blogger with a knack for the research field, Ann has also been a certified massage therapist for over 20 years, practicing in her own business, the Body in Balance Center in Alexandria, VA. You can find more diabetes blogs and research updates from Ann at HealthCentral